"Disgusting!!"
"Absolutely disgusting!!"
"A complete fraud, a total con artist!!"
In the reception room.
Nanase Kudō was fuming, her face red with anger.
"He promised to let Asuna and Yukari go if I signed the contract, but turns out he said the exact same thing to you two as well."
"And now, all three of us have signed our lives away. What kind of joke is this?"
"If you're so resentful, why don't you say it to Luo Shu's face, Nanase?"
Yukari Shinomiya sipped her tea as if nothing had happened, her expression perfectly calm:
"You've ranted, drunk tea, and finished the fruit platter. Isn't it about time you calmed down?"
Hearing this, Nanase Kudō, who had been standing by the window, slumped her shoulders and trudged back to the sofa:
"...I just can't accept it."
"We agreed I'd be the only one to sacrifice myself, but in the end, everyone got dragged in."
As she spoke, Nanase Kudō glanced at Asuna Yuuki, who was sitting on the sofa in a daze:
"Asuna, say something!"
"Huh? Did you say something just now, Nanase?" Asuna Yuuki blinked, snapping out of her trance.
Nanase Kudō was speechless: "Seriously? I've been going on and on, and you were just spacing out? What were you even doing just now?"
"Researching the Divine Pantheon's functions?" Yukari Shinomiya asked curiously. "Speaking of which, the Divine Pantheon seems to have quite a few interesting features."
"There's a treasure vault for exchanging mystic materials, the Dream Simulation Chamber for Class training and simulations."
"Not to mention the exclusive spaces in the Hidden Management Zone, along with possession and manifestation abilities—all quite intriguing."
"And what surprised me most was that Meer, whom I got along with so well, is also a Familia member and even the Director of SDS's Intelligence Department."
At this point, Yukari Shinomiya suddenly realised something, her expression turning shocked:
"Wait a minute, I think Meer asked me if I wanted to join her organisation before... Does that mean I was already being targeted back then...?"
"Huh?"
"You were being targeted that early?"
Asuna Yuuki was stunned, and Nanase Kudō beside her looked equally astonished.
After a brief moment of tension, Asuna Yuuki quickly regained her composure and said with a wry smile:
"Well, Yukari, your information-gathering skills are so impressive even I find them exaggerated. It's no surprise Director Meer took notice of you."
"While that may be true..." Yukari Shinomiya stroked her chin before hesitantly adding, "I went through the group chat records and asked some seniors, and after compiling everything, I noticed something odd."
"What is it?" Asuna asked, puzzled.
At this point, Yukari gave Asuna a teasing look:
"It seems our Chief God pays more attention to you, Asuna!"
"Think about it—none of our backgrounds warranted the Chief God dispatching a professional SDS investigation team, yet you alone received one."
"Doesn't that count as special treatment?"
"W-Wait..." Asuna was dumbfounded.
Luo Shu valued her more? How... how could that be?
Nearby, Nanase Kudō also seemed uncertain:
"Could it be that Asuna has some remarkable talent worth noticing?"
She deeply trusted Yukari's intelligence-gathering abilities, so if Luo Shu truly valued Asuna this much...
Did that mean Asuna was someone extraordinary?
Like the heroine of a TV drama?
Considering Asuna's situation...
Oh? Was she perhaps the rebellious young lady in some urban romance plot?
"Me? Valued?"
Asuna murmured to herself before raising her hands in bewilderment:
"That can't be... I don't think I have any special talents."
"Even as a Familia member, the ability I awakened is only Excellent Rank... Does that even count as talent?"
Thinking of her awakened ability, Asuna instinctively opened her system.
[Holy Light Sanctuary (Excellent Rank)]
[The stronger your faith, the greater the protection of holy light you receive.]
[The mightier the holy light, the more divinely assisted you become.]
[Grants accelerated learning ability. The stronger your faith, the greater your focus—up to a maximum of 500% enhancement.]
"This ability... isn't that strong, right?"
Asuna fell into deep thought.
...
"A subordinate ability of Metatron?"
In Luo Shu's office, adjacent to the reception room, Origami Tobiichi stared expressionlessly at Luo Shu, who sat at the head of the table. Though her tone was flat, Luo Shu could detect a hint of surprise.
"Yes, a subordinate ability of Metatron—likely one of the Excellent Rank branch abilities."
As he spoke, Luo Shu absentmindedly rubbed the ring on his finger, frowning slightly:
"While it's unclear whether Asuna awakening such an ability is an exception, if possible, training her towards your Class, Origami, might not be out of the question."
It was precisely because of this uniqueness that Luo Shu had left Asuna in the reception room while he came to discuss matters with Origami.
A precursor ability to a unique Class—especially one belonging to a Spirit, a Demigod level Class—was more than enough to warrant his attention.
Though perfectly replicating a Top Tier Class like Metatron was impossible, a slightly degraded High Tier Class might be achievable.
If so, wouldn't that mean the Hidden Management Department could master an entire Class system leading straight to Demigod status?
With such prospects at stake, Luo Shu couldn't afford to be anything but serious.
Seeing Luo Shu's seriousness, Origami Tobiichi only doubled down:
"...Understood. I'll expedite deriving the prerequisite Class for Metatron."
Within the Familia, only the veteran Demigod Kurumi Tokisaki had fully deduced every aspect of her Class system and established an upgradeable framework.
However, due to the unique nature of the Time Spirit, not only the Hidden Management Department but the entire SDS had failed to discover anyone capable of following the Time Spirit path—not even achieving a degraded version of its Class.
Under these circumstances, the sudden discovery of an Asuna Yuuki who might complete Metatron's degraded Class was enough to capture Luo Shu's attention.
Though it was unclear if Asuna Yuuki was the only possible candidate, at least there existed a sliver of possibility for replication.
And that was sufficient.
After all, the SDS didn't possess many Classes that could be widely disseminated while maintaining adequate strength, did they?
"If you encounter difficulties, you can consult Kurumi and Nia. If feasible, Origami, you might need to take on a disciple."
Luo Shu said this half-jokingly to Origami Tobiichi.
In response, Origami simply nodded:
"Yes, Director."
With that, Origami hurried off to execute the order without the slightest hesitation.
Watching her go, Luo Shu shook his head helplessly before contacting Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was overseeing the final examination, through the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System.
[Luo Shu: After this recruitment assessment, have the successful candidates meet me on the third floor.]
After sending the notification, Luo Shu rubbed his ring, thinking of Asuna Yuuki, who had come to them voluntarily. A slight smile curved his lips:
"Sometimes, unexpected windfalls do feel rather nice."